Emerald City Smoothie — Restaurant in Seattle

I greatly dislike giving poor ratings; however, I cannot hide or dismiss serious aspects of my experience that are necessary to share with the public. Together, let’s raise Emerald City Smoothies’s rating from two stars to 4.5 or 5!

I must give this açaí place the benefit of the doubt regarding customer service, as I ordered via Doordash. I would hope service would be friendly, professional, and efficient. This is the source of my additional star.

I was not impressed by the açaí I received, and it was quite frustrating. The quality and preparation was extremely lacking. The açaí was droopy and liquid-y, as if it was melting ice cream rather than quality, fresh fruit blend. I would’ve appreciated more toppings that supposedly came with the combo I picked online. (I thought I only saw one banana slice, just one HUGE piece that seemed frozen and old.) All in all, it just looked weak and unappetizing—see my pictures to hopefully gain a better understanding of what I mean here.

Less important than the above, but let me still mention: I really didn’t like the packaging in which my açaí bowl was placed. Not only was there not even a bag for the Doordash driver to have carried the food, but the plastic container holding the açaí was the most troublesome for me, as someone with a disability characterized by weaker hands/arms, to independently open. After sadly making a small mess in my hotel room, I received the assistance of a hotel employee to pry the container lid open. It was borderline embarrassing.

Overall, I wish to give Emerald City Smoothies another shot, but under two conditions:

You guys rectify the mistakes I described in this review, and You let me know when you’re ready for me to come back

I care about supporting all the small businesses out there amid the devastating pandemic, and this one is no exception. But I don’t wanna have another poor experience. It’s gotta be beneficial for both of us, Emerald City and me, as a paying customer. I hope you understand why I am giving a poor rating NOW, and maybe soon, perhaps that can change upwards towards four...

I’ve been to this location roughly 30 times since moving to Seattle. Sometimes the smoothies are good, sometimes the smoothies are trash. Whenever the owner makes them, they taste watered down and hard to drink. 1 of his other 2 employees, his daughter makes a good smoothie, is friendly and offers great service. The 3rd employee, the young man is very efficient and does very good with what he has. He is always slammed, working alone by himself. I’ve never ever seen more than one person on the clock while visiting this location and it’s clear the owner doesn’t care. Walk in the door and take a look around, it’s embarrassing to see trash lined all around the store, dirty/dusty shelving that looks like it has t been cleaned in 10 years. All that, and the owner opens and closes the store when he wants. It’s his store he can do that, sure, but when you have hours listed on different platforms that cause me to drive out of my way to find the store is closed, is inexcusable. Clean your store, fix your hours, give you employees some help, and also stop dumping the UW Huskies team smoothies in dirty containers before pouring them...

This place is my go-to for fresh fruit smoothies. It's a grab-and-go type of shop, easily accessible with ample, free parking outside and a bus stop steps away. I've probably never been inside more than five consecutive minutes, nor seen a line more than two people long.

The operator, Zach, is friendly, fast, and pressure-free-patient as you choose a regular or large size from the display of 40 recipes. He's also a certified nutritionist (a plaque on the wall says so).

You might think from the intense flavors that the smoothies here are loaded with added sugars, but--surprise--that sweetness is completely natural! (I've tried replicating the quality myself, and can vouch for the wonders of banana and citrus.)

As a quick source for a healthy indulgence whether I'm too busy for a full meal, feeling under the weather, or wrapping up a workout, Emerald City Smoothie holds a special spot on Aurora Ave and...